Jonathan Wilson Writes on Family, Football and Fandom

Hey Madridistas,

I wanted to pass on to you this wonderful piece by tactics expert and prominent football writer Jonathan Wilson, author of the astonishingly good Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics - the definitive book on the evolution of tactics and formations from the early days of the game in Britain through the Austrian Wunderteam, Dutch Total Football, the invention of pressing, Sacchi's Milan, and everything in between.  In it, he discusses his late father and what being a Sunderland fan means to him.  

What I found most interesting was that for Wilson, being a Sunderland fan is about a sense of place and of belonging, of continuity with the past and with his family and his city.  It doesn't matter to him who plays for the club, who the manager is or who owns it - Sunderland is in his blood.  Given that many of us on the site weren't born into Madrid-supporting families, how did you come to be a fan?  What does being a madridista mean to you?  Whether you're a madrileño born and bred or only recently fell in love with the club, share your story in the comments!